More Irish born men reached the rank of general in the American Civil War than any other foreign nationality. However, there were many more Irishmen who achieved the rank of Colonel without advancing to a more exalted rank. In the first in a new series on Irish in the American Civil War we will be exploring these men, who often remain in the shadows of their more famous countrymen. The first is Colonel Michael Magevney Jr., Colonel of the 154th (Senior) Tennessee Infantry, C.S.A.

Michael Magevney was born around the year 1835 in Co. Fermanagh. He was a schoolteacher in Ireland and emigrated to the United States in 1854, settling in Memphis Tennessee. He was perhaps influenced in his choice of location by his uncle, Eugene Magevney, who had become a well known teacher in that city having himself settled there in the 1830s. Prior to the war Michael had worked as a book-keeper, marrying Ellen Murphy. He was involved in the volunteer militia before the war, and on 14th May 1861 became a Captain in the 154th (Senior) Tennessee Infantry on that units organisation. He commanded the regiment’s largely Irish Company C, ‘The Jackson Guards’. The 154th Tennessee had an unusual history in that it had originally been the 154th Tennessee Militia Regiment, with its origins in 1842. They retained this number when they mustered into service at the outbreak of war. As it had a significantly longer history than those Tennessee regiments with lower numbers, it was granted permission to include ‘senior’ in its title to distinguish itself from them. (1)

The regiment had 802 men under arms at Fort Wright in July 1861. They first tasted action at the Battle of Belmont, Missouri on 7th November of that year where they lost one man killed and 12 wounded. At the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862 both Colonel Preston Smith and Lieutenant-Colonel Marcus J. Wright were wounded as the regiment lost 25 men dead, 163 wounded and 11 missing. The injuries to the senior commanders resulted in Magevney’s promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel. He rose to command the regiment following the death of Colonel Edward Fitzgerald at Richmond, Kentucky on 30th August 1862 when the 154th were serving under Corkman Patrick Ronayne Cleburne. Lieutenant-Colonel Magevney led what was by late 1862 a battalion of 245 men into the Battle of Murfreesboro, seeing action on 30th and 31st December 1862. They lost 14 killed, 83 wounded and 3 missing during the fight. By 1st March 1863 what was left of his regiment was consolidated with the 13th Tennessee, becoming the 13th/154th Tennessee with Colonel Vaughan of the 13th assuming command. Magevney commanded the post of Okolona, Mississippi with the rank of Colonel in 1863, and by the time of the Atlanta Campaign in 1864 he was leading the 13th/154th. During this period the regiment saw heavy fighting at locations such as the Dead Angle at Kennesaw Mountain. The Irishman rose to temporary brigade command for the period from 10th July 1864 to 31st August 1864. He was wounded in the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee on 30th November 1864, and was captured at the disastrous Battle of Nashville on 16th December 1864. (2)

Michael Magevney Jr. was held as a prisoner at Johnson’s Island, Ohio for the remainder of the war, eventually being released on 22nd May 1865. He returned to Memphis where he became a merchant, and although he became initially successful and wealthy he lost his fortune, perhaps a result of the alcoholism which was given as his cause of death on 21st September 1883. He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis but was re interred at Calvary Cemetery in the same city in 1887. His obituary remarked that he was ‘a man of remarkable coolness and courage…of extensive reading, fine culture, and delicate sensibilities.’ (3)

James Joseph Real, one of the 154th Sr. Irish soldiers who was killed at Shiloh on the second day had a brother in another Irish unit, the 7th Missouri Volunteer Infantry, a Union outfit. James picked up the regiment’s flag on the afternoon of the first day at Shiloh and carried it into the second day when he was killed. His brother, Patrick Sarsfield Real, arrived with his Missouri regiment at Shiloh (Pittsburgh Landing) a short time after the battle. There he learned that James had died and was buried in a mass grave on the battlefield. Patrick deserted, made an unsuccessful trip to Memphis to find his brother’s belongings, then went back to their parents’ home in Illinois to give them the sad news. Some weeks later, Patrick joined the 90th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Chicago’s Irish Legion, and became Captain of Company K. The Memphis Appeal wrote about James Real’s death at Shiloh, reporting that he had declared his willingness to die for the South because he considered its cause to be just.

Love the site Damian. Will be sure to check it out regularly.
But enough of these mickey-mouse colonels. When are you going to deal with the only one that matters. Sham-towns finest son Col. Patrick Kelly?

Thanks, Damien, for your kind remarks about my article in the Irish Sword. You must forgive me for any computer errors I make. As I tell my grandchildren, when I was their age, I was going upstairs to bed carrying a candlestick while they are all computer experts.
As regards a guest spot on your site, I would leave the historical stuff to your article in the Colonels series but I do have a series of letters J.W. Scully wrote to his wife from Nov. 1861 to June 1862, the only time he was separated from his wife Mary. While he was serving with Thomas and Buell, he was seeking a commission and never admitted to being married until he secured his commission in July 1862. Hence the confusion over the date of his marriage, but it was definitely 1858.
There are about 50 letters, full of the sort of detail you don’t find in history books, of what life on the march and in battle was like.
He was a great admirer of George Thomas, by the way.
Couldn’t possibly deal with all the letters but possibly excerpts from them might be of interest to your readers.
Regards,
Anthony

I haven’t spotted any errors so far anyway! That sounds like an incredible collection of letters- they would certainly be of interest I am sure! I will send you a direct message as it would be great to feature them.